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About Jobs At Sea

Cruise West offers a variety of career opportunities onboard our small ships. Below you’ll find some useful information regarding working onboard.

Application Procedure and Requirements

Applications must be submitted online. You may submit a resume with your online application, however, incomplete applications will not be processed.

Eligibility and Notification

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Cruise West does not sponsor work visas for non-citizens or non-residents of the United States. As a condition of employment you will be required to submit proof of eligibility.

We regret that we cannot respond to all candidates individually, however you will hear from us if we are interested in interviewing you!

References and Background Checks

We ask applicants to provide at least three (3) verifiable work references with current telephone information. As a condition of hire, all applicants will be asked to sign a release for Cruise West to conduct a background check dating back 10 years.

Drug, and Alcohol Testing

Cruise West is committed to achieving and maintaining a safe and productive workplace free from employees affected by drugs and alcohol. All vessel employees will be subject to the following categories of DOT/FHWA drug testing: pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident/incident, and random. These employees will also be subject to the following categories of required DOT/FHWA alcohol testing: reasonable suspicion, post-accident/incident, return-to-duty, follow-up, and random. Some employees may also be required to complete a physical exam.

Physical Demands

All vessel positions can be physically demanding. Repetitive motion, bending, climbing and often heavy lifting, are requirements of most vessel positions. In any given day crewmembers are often found making up to 20 beds per day, and climbing narrow steep stairways several times a day while carrying supplies and linen. Often times the motion of the vessel requires careful maneuverability especially when balancing trays of food and beverages during meal service. Every turnaround day when passengers get on and off the vessel crewmembers are required to help load and off load up to 300 pieces of guest luggage and boxes of food and vessel supplies. The physical lifting requirement is 50 pounds.

Zero Tolerance Alcohol Policy and Safety

All crewmembers fill a station on the emergency station billet. When joining the vessel, the Safety Officer will orient and train a new crewmember on the duties required of their assigned station. An example of an emergency duty is assisting guests on board with donning their Personal Flotation Device. Employees must be available to respond to emergencies 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, therefore, all vessel employees are prohibited from consuming alcohol while in the service of the ship. Consumption of alcoholic beverages within eight (8) hours of reporting to duty is also not allowed.


Uniform/Grooming Standards for Vessel Positions

At Cruise West it is important that your attire and personal grooming reflect a positive, professional image. The Company provides uniforms. Uniforms must be kept clean, neat and orderly at all times. Employees are responsible for the laundering and ironing of personal uniforms. Off duty attire, although casual, must be neat and professional. Additional grooming and appearance standards include:

Jewelry: Jewelry for both men and women must be very basic. Men are not permitted to wear earrings and women may only wear one pair of conservative earrings. No other visible piercing, such as tongue rings or studs, may be worn.

Hair: Hairstyles for both men and women must be neat, business-like, well combed and conservative in style. (No blue, green, bright yellow or other colors not generally found in natural hair colorings). Men's hair must be short (above the collar) and styled conservatively off the face. Women may wear long hair if it is pulled back neatly when working.

Facial hair: Men are permitted to wear a beard and/or mustache and goatee if the style is conservative and neat.

Tattoos: Hotel Staff with High Guest Service Contact (such as: Hotel Manager, Purser, Exploration Guide, Bartender, GSR, Lead GSR, and their relief's, Galley Lead): Visible tattoos are not permitted whether in an on duty or off duty capacity aboard a vessel.Deck, Engineering & Galley Staff: Tattoos must be of an appropriate nature and pre-approved, or not visible.

Shoes: You must provide your own socks and shoes. They must be black (white in Mexico). Shoes must be worn at all times while on the vessel. For safety reasons open toed shoes are not allowed, though flip-flops are allowed for use in the shower.


Seasons

Cruise West hires for two primary seasons, the Alaska season and the Baja Mexico Season. The Alaska season begins in March and ends in October or November, depending on the vessel. This season also includes cruises to the Columbia and Snake Rivers or Beautiful British Columbia, and the California Wine Country. The Baja Mexico season begins in December and ends in March. Our expectation for new crewmembers when hired is that they work the entire season they sign on for. Employees will be given the opportunity to reapply to work on other vessels or seasons upon completion of their season. Cruise West is committed to transferring and promoting from within.

Year-round Positions: Cruise West does hire year round, fulltime vessel management positions. Please check listings for openings and required qualifications.

Hours and Scheduling

Crewmembers typically work rotation schedules that are approximately 6 -8 weeks in duration. Days are long and begin very early in the morning. Crewmembers are generally scheduled to work 12-hour days. During these long days crewmembers find time, in between meals and when work is done, to enjoy visiting the scenic ports of call, exercising, reading a book or simply enjoy the wonderful scenery with our guests. Others find a nap may be in order! At the end of a rotation crewmembers are scheduled for 2-3 weeks off the vessel depending on the vessel. Room and Board is provided to all crewmembers free of charge. Meals are typically provided 3 times per day. During time-off, employees may not stay onboard the vessel. They are responsible for the cost of their own room and board off the vessel and travel to their home. Employees may take advantage of Cruise West discounted contract airfare rates by booking their travel through the corporate office.

Life Onboard

Crew quarters on board are shared with up to 5 other crewmembers, thus personal space and privacy are very limited. Assigned bunks are equipped with privacy curtains similar to that of a berth on a train. The sizes of the bunks are generally narrower and shorter than a standard twin bed. Sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels are provided. Crew quarters are typically located down below the water line and often do not have windows. The alternate or emergency exit from crew quarters is typically a narrow steep ladder that leads to a narrow escape hatch. All crew must be able to climb this ladder and go through the escape hatch which is 28" in width.

Storage space in crew quarters is limited. Typically there is a small locker and a couple of drawers in which to store belongings. Each vessel has at least one washer and dryer for the crew to launder personal clothing and uniforms. When employees leave the vessel for their rotation off, they are required to take all of their personal property with them.

There is a designated smoking area for crewmembers on every ship. In order to maintain a professional image smoking and chewing tobacco are not allowed in view of the guests.

Our ships primarily sail in protected waterways close to the shoreline and the seas are generally calm, though there will be occasions when the ship is exposed to open ocean or where there is foul weather that can cause increased motion on the ship. Pills for motion sickness are provided onboard for both guest and crew.

Staying in Touch

Due to the remote locations in which we sail, staying in touch with your family and friends can be a little challenging. Employees are allowed to bring a personal cell phone/laptop on board the ship to use during non-working hours, though coverage is very limited. The best way to keep in touch is to plan on using payphones or internet cafes/libraries while in port. The vessels are generally in port 3-4 days a week depending on the itinerary. Crewmembers can also send and receive postal mail onboard. Every new employee receives contact information that they can share with family and friends. Emergency contact information is also given to all new crewmembers. If your family needs to contact you while you are on the vessel, they will be able to get a message to you through the Seattle office.


Working for Cruise West can be a challenging, yet very rewarding experience. If you’re ready to explore your future career at Cruise West begin your journey here!  

Career Opportunities